MONITORING OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN FROM 1 to November 30, 2023

November 1, Astana, Abishev A., Mataev A. and Izmailov S. were detained by SOBR officers when they went to the French Embassy to meet with the French President to inform him about human rights violations in Kazakhstan. They were released in the evening without a formal without a formal protocol, after being held in the police station for about 7 hour[1].

November 1, Almaty, Ilyashev A. was questioned as a witness in the case of «extortion» Article 194 of the Criminal Code of the RK. The case was opened on the basis of the complaint of the businessman Belovich A., founder of the company “Bazis-A”. The activist believes that it is connected with his speech at the press conference on October 19 in support of the ex-candidate for the Majilis Kanat Abay (Turdaliyev)[2].

November 1, Almaty, the affected journalists of various media D. Yegeubaeva, V. Boreiko, S. Ibrayeva and others. “The defendant Arkady Klebanov, Articles 158, 147, 132, 115, 293, 207 and 202 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who organized attacks on the media of Kazakhstan, was found insane by the court and sent for compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital”, — reports the press service of the court[3].

November 2, Astana, telegram channel “1612 Info” posted a photo and a short video from the trial of Zhylanbaev M. In the photo, the activist holds a paper saying “As a sign of my protest, I sewed my mouth shut”. “On the same day, after a preventive conversation conducted by the management of the institution, the defendant Zhylanbaev M. removed the stitches”, the Department of Penitentiary and Correctional System said in its message[4].

November 2, Almaty, #Qantar2022, consideration of the civil case began in the military court of Almaty garrison on the claim of the Department of the Border Guard Service of the NSC in Almaty region against 24 convicts conditionally sentenced for the January 2022 events for recovery of material damage in the amount of 147,358,220 tenge[5].

On November 2, in Almaty, Yakutia (Russia), the activist Ammosov A. (Igor Ivanov) and the Russian woman Narskaya N., who were detained in SI-72 in Almaty, received certificates of asylum seekers[6].

November 2, Almaty, overview of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from October 26 to November 02, 2023, prepared by PF “Adil Soz”[7].

November 2, Karaganda Region, Mine rescuers involved in the emergency response at the Kostenko mine said they were under pressure after public exposure of their service’s problems with management following the mine accident that killed 46 miners[8].

November 2, Astana, the Supreme Court was to hold a court hearing on the complaint against the Ministry of Justice, which was submitted by the initiative group for the creation of the party “Alga, Kazakhstan!”. “We asked to hold the online trial, but our request was not answered” — said Imangalieva B.[9]

On November 3, Temirtau, the court fined activist Pekarskaya O., who raises social issues, 276 thousand tenge ($590) on charges of “insulting” the city maslikhat deputy Lomakin A. The court also ordered to recover more than 17 thousand tenge as a payment in favor of a “Victims’ Compensation Fund”[10].

November 3, Aktobe Oblast, 8 people who, together with other residents of the village of Zhetybai, Mangistau Oblast, were demanding employment for the residents were detained by police on their way to Astana. There they planned to meet with officials and present the demands of the unemployed. The Zhetybai villagers were returned from Aktobe under police escort[11].

November 3, Buryat journalist Baltatarova E., who had her application for refugee status in Kazakhstan rejected by the authorities last month, filed a complaint with the court on November 3[12].

November 3, Kazakhstan occupies 75th place out of 87 countries in the ranking of the least corrupt countries. Kazakhstan was among the worst of the world ranking, the most corrupt countries, reports U.S.news&worldreport[13].

November 3, Astana, Zhylanbaev M.: The administration of the detention facility forcibly removed stitches from his mouth and drew up a protocol. The video shows needle marks and stitches. Marat continues to resist and says that he is on hunger strike (the administration of the detention facility cannot forbid this!), human rights defender Toregozhina B. reported[14].

On November 3, Shymkent, a trial was held on the claim of the first deputy chief of the Police Department Abdramanov E. against the journalist Nizovkin M. on charges of defamation. At the court hearing the applicant asked to have the court closed because personal data of Abdramanov E. would be considered[15].

November 4, Almaty resident Beisenbai I., 21, held a solitary action in Astana Square, to demand respect for the rights of miners and oil workers in Kazakhstan. He also called on citizens to take an interest in the problems faced by miners, especially following the recent accident at the Kostenko Mine in Karaganda Region, which killed 46 people[16].

November 6, Almaty court decided to discontinue the criminal case against activist B. Belyalov under Article 68 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan in connection with reconciliation of the parties. The court decided to impose on the defendant a compulsory payment of 840 tenge for medical examination of the victim[17].

On November 6, Astana, the leader of the group “Nashe Pravo” (Our Right) Zakirova S., with several supporters submitted an appeal to the administration of the President of Kazakhstan. First, to abandon the idea of building a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. Second: to pay proper compensation to the families of those who were killed and injured in the Kostenko mine accident. Third: to stop the shooting of saiga in the West Kazakhstan region “in view of the lack of grounds” for the extermination of antelopes[18].

November 6, Astana, Narymbay E. received a new warning from the probation service. The reason was his post in social networks, dedicated to the situation concerning M. Zhylanbaev[19].

November 7, Aktau, the court arrested A. Yeleusinov, a trade union leader, under Article 488, Part 7 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK for 15 days. He had called for a rally, having written in a WhatsApp chat “5/50 zhigitteri tobynda” (guys in group 5/50). On November 7, 15 citizens gathered at the Square of Symbols in the 12th microdistrict of the city. The action was not authorized by the Akima” — reported in the press service of the police department[20].

November 7, Kokshetau city, Baimuldin N.: an administrative case was brought against the journalist under article 456-2, Part 3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK. “In his post Baimuldin N., made negative remarks about the President of RK K. Tokayev, stating that Tokayev and his team turned out to be even worse than Nazarbayev’s regime”, — quote from the police report [21].

November 8, Almaty, “We regret to note a dramatic increase in the number of cyber- attacks on journalists and media outlets in recent times. These cyber-attacks pose a serious threat to freedom of expression, independent journalism and information security” — stated the Adil Soz Foundation[22].

November 8, Uralsk, O. Okhasov was served a summons for November 9 at 09:00 hours in violation of the law: the article of the Criminal Code of the RK was not specified, the status of the recipient was not specified, and the name of the investigator was not specified as well. “At my request, the investigator specified his surname”, — reported Okhasov O.[23]

November 8, Astana, Zakirova S., was sentenced to 15 days of arrest under Article 488 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK for “calling for an unauthorized rally” in the run-up to the October 25 rally, the date on which the rallies were announced. Zakirova S. was not the author of the post calling for a rally, her page was “tagged” and that turned out to be enough for the court[24].

November 8, Almaty, activists of the unregistered party “Alga, Kazakhstan!” and a lawyer announced their disagreement with the decision of the court in Astana to close the trial against M. Zhylanbaev. There are no state secrets or any information about violent acts in the case file[25].

On November 9, Almaty, activists initiated a challenge in support of Zhylanbaev M., a political prisoner and chairman of the organizing committee of the currently created party “Alga, Kazakhstan!”[26].

November 9, Almaty, overview of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from November 02 to November 09, 2023, prepared by PF “Adil Soz”[27].

November 9, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the Kazakh court’s decision to close the trial against M. Zhylanbayev, the leader of the unregistered party “Alga, Kazakhstan!”[28].

November 10, Almaty, Tabyldieva N., Article 274, Part 2, Article 378, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK: the court passed a verdict of conviction and sentenced Tabyldieva N. to 1.6 years of restriction of liberty, as well as prohibited her from engaging in public and political life and journalism for 5 years[29].

November 10, Almaty, the investigation against Muhammedkarim D. was completed. He is charged under Article 405 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “participation in the activities of an extremist organization” and Article 258 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “financing of extremism”. “Representatives of the UN Working Group on Human Rights have been in touch with the defense lawyer”, said the lawyer Nurpeisov G.[30]

November 10, Shymkent, administrative case under Article 73-3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK “Defamation” against journalist Nizovkina M. was dismissed. The court found no evidence of “dissemination of knowingly false information” in the publication of Nizovkina M. in Instagram. It was because of this publication that the deputy head of the City Police Department Abdramanov E. filed a complaint against the journalist[31].

November 10, Almaty, the court, having considered the appeal of Tleuzhanova A. (4 years’ imprisonment under Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan), Nurpeisov K., Dalibayev N., Shilibayev E., Karmenov Zh. (8 years’ imprisonment under Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) in the case of “seizure” of the airport, decided to leave the verdict of the court of first instance unchanged[32].

November 10, Uralsk, the court dismissed a lawsuit against the district territorial election commission of polling station No. 343 of Taskalinsk district, West Kazakhstan region, and refused an independent observer who had recorded violations during voting at the elections of the district akim. Judge Shaidieva Sh. found the claim “groundless” and stated that it was not possible to determine what kind of violations were committed by the members of the election commission[33].

November 13, Almaty, “Kazakhstani authorities have refused to grant me refugee status. The court hearing to challenge this decision is scheduled for November 16. And we are sure to lose. There is no positive practice”, wrote journalist Baltatarova E. The refusal of the Kazakh authorities will lead to the deportation of the journalist back to Russia. Kazakhstan does not let the journalist leave for other countries[34].

November 13, Astana, President Tokayev K. held a meeting with Prosecutor General Asylov B. The Prosecutor General informed about the decrease in the number of complaints of torture in 54 penitentiary institutions of the country: 17 complaints in 2023, as against 94 complaints in 2022. 29 thousand video cameras were installed in prisons and colonies[35].

On November 13, Aktobe, Karakalpak activist Yuldasheva T. was released from the detention facility where she had been held for about a year after being detained at the request of Uzbekistan. T. Yuldasheva was taken from the gate of the detention facility to the migration police, where she was assigned a place of residence in the city of Aktobe[36].

November 14, Almaty, Tleuzhanova A., Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the RK, 4 years’ imprisonment. She went on hunger strike as a sign of protest because she was hastily transferred to the colony in the village of Zhaugashty and was not given the opportunity to take warm clothes[37].

November 15, Almaty, investigation on the case of journalist Muhammedkarim D., Articles 405, 258 of the Criminal Code of the RK prolonged for another month at the request of the investigation[38].

November 15, Almaty, Arman Zhuman, Article 451, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK: The military court of the Almaty garrison has acquitted the soldier of contract service. “We will appeal against this verdict”, said the father of 4-year-old Aykorkem Meldekhan, who was killed in #qantar2022, and lawyer Kunserkin Zh.[39].

November 15, Almaty, the prosecutor’s office intends to appeal the verdict of “not guilty” in the case of the death of 4-year-old Aykorkem Meldekhan during the January events in Almaty, according to the Chief Military Prosecutor’s office[40].

November 16, Taraz city, Kanatov N., Article 419 of the Criminal Code of the RK: the court sentenced him to 3.5 years of imprisonment for knowingly false denunciation. The case was opened on the complaint of the deputy Akim of the region. Kanatov N. was detained in the courtroom[41].

November 16, Taraz city, Criminal Court No. 2 made a special decision on disbarment of lawyer Ibrayev A., who defended political prisoner Kanatov N. for alleged contempt of the court [42].

November 16, Karaganda Regional Court partially granted the appeal of journalist Saparkyzy D., who was the victim in the administrative case of “intentional infliction of minor injury to health”. On August 18, the journalist was attacked while performing editorial task[43].

November 16, Almaty, overview of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from November 09 to November 16, 2023, prepared by PF “Adil Soz”[44].

November 16, Almaty, Aidos Meldekhanuly was charged with administrative case in Turksib district police department under the new Article 456-2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Posting, dissemination of false information “. The court also issued a private decision on bringing him to responsibility under Article 119 of the Criminal Code of the RK “Abandonment in danger” in the case of death of his daughter Aykorkem[45].

November 16, Almaty, the court ruled to fine 103,500 tenge (about $220) against the representative office of the Kazakh service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty under the new administrative Article 456-2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Posting, dissemination of false information”), which is referred to as an analog of the Russian law “on fakes”[46].

November 16, Kokshetau city, Article 456-2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Posting, dissemination of false information“was introduced in Kazakhstan. Journalist Baimuldin N. was summoned to court as an offender in the case of dissemination of false information. The article aimed at combating disinformation and fakes began its action from journalists[47].

On November 17, Akmola region, Koyandy settlement, several police officers came to the house of activist Kapar Akhat, Article 489, Part 10 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. They made an administrative record and imposed a fine of more than 172 thousand tenge under the article on participation in the activities of an unregistered public association[48].

November 17, Shymkent, journalist Nizovkina M. appealed to the President of Kazakhstan asking for protection from the police. She told about the pressure from law enforcement officers and noted that she did not feel safe[49].

November 17, Abai oblast, Zharminsky district, Charsk city, activist Yerkhan Agzam claimed that his candidacy was not allowed to run in the Akim elections. The protocol of the Territorial Election Commission (TEC) was cancelled twice. The regional department of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs submitted a conclusion to the TEC, stating that Yerkhan Agzam did not meet the requirement of length of service[50].

November 17, Almaty, an examining court put Yakut activist Aikhal Ammosov (Igor Ivanov) under extradition arrest for 12 months. Earlier, the court had detained him for 40 days[51].

November 16, Astana, M. Zhylanbaev, articles 405, 258 of the Criminal Code of the RK: he has lost weight since the beginning of the hunger strike. “I have just come from the prison, where I met with Marat. On November 1 he weighed 72 kilograms, and on November 15 he weighed 59 kilograms”, said his lawyer[52].

November 17, Astana, Zhylanbaev M., Articles 405, 258 of the Criminal Code of the RK: debates take place within the closed trial of the marathon runner. The prosecutor asked the court to find M. Zhylanbaev guilty and sentence him to 10 years of imprisonment[53].

November 18, Almaty, Keneshbaev Yerlan, Article 488, Part 6 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 15 days of detention for participation in the Court of Appeal in the case of Tleuzhanova A., Nurpeisov K. and others[54].

November 20, Almaty region, Zhaugashty settlement, Tleuzhanova A., Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the RK, 4 years’ imprisonment. Tleuzhanova A. has been on hunger strike for six days. During this time she has experienced health problems, and there is no information whether she has been visited by doctors[55].

November 20, Almaty, political scientist Alzhanov D. called the meeting of the youth movement “Zhana Adamdar”, which was approved by the Almaty Akimat, an attempt to divert social discontent caused by gender violence in the country and suggested that an alternative peaceful action should be held. He described the Zhana Adamdar movement as pro-government[56].

November 20, Taldykorgan, journalist Muhammedkarim D., Articles 258, 405 of the Criminal Code of the RK: the journalist is on hunger strike in support of political prisoners Tleuzhanova A. and Zhylanbaev M. He supported them in their fight and demands to conduct an open trial on his case[57].

November 20, Almaty, Aydos Meldekhanuly, Article 456-2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK: the father of the girl Aykorkem, who was killed during #Qanitar2022, was fined 69,000 tenge (almost $150) for “Posting, dissemination of false information”[58].

November 21, Astana, Altayev N., Article 366, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of the RK, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The court found him guilty of taking bribes on a particularly large scale. To recover the amount of the alleged bribe — 50 million 116 thousand 20 tenge “as property, obtained by crime, with a lifetime deprivation of the right to hold positions in public service”[59].

November 21, Almaty, the court passed sentences in the case of attacks on the media and journalists. Tokarev O., Articles 158, 147, 202 of the Criminal Code of the RK was sentenced to 4.6 years suspended prison sentence. With regard to minors with initials K., T., S., A., the court sentenced them to 1.4 years of restriction of freedom. The defendant Tokarev O. and the representatives of the minor defendants were ordered to pay 3 million tenge in compensation for non-pecuniary damage[60].

November 21, Almaty, akimats of ten cities did not give their permission to hold a peaceful protest on November 25, 2023. Subject: “Tokayev declared the construction of ‘Zhanf Kazakhstan!’. We agree with Tokayev. We are for ‘Zhana Kazakhstan’”. List of cities: Aksai, Almaty, Pavlodar, Karaganda, Astana, Petropavlovsk, Semey, Uralsk, Shymkent, Kostanay. Reason for refusal: Activities that were scheduled earlier, provision of incomplete information [61].

November 21, Almaty region, Zarechny settlement, D., Namazbaev D., Facility LA-14 (103), Article 179, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK, 5 years’ imprisonment: the court rejected the petition to change the sentence from deprivation of liberty to restriction of liberty. The court justified its refusal by the alleged existence of a penalty[62].

November 21, Astana, Amrenov K., Zhunusov Zh. and Kazhigaliev N., Article 488, Part 6 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK, 15 days of arrest each for participating in the action in support of Zhylanbaev M. outside the building of the Ministry of Justice on October 11, 2023. Kantarbaeva S., Nugmanov M. and Musabaev M., Article 488, Part 11 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK, 20 days of arrest each for participating in a rally in front of the business center «Renko» on March 17, 2023, demanding freedom for political prisoners[63].

November 22, Atyrau city, Sultanova N., Rakhimova A., Ermekova A., Aimagambetova N., who came to the akimat on October 27 with the demand to strengthen social support of the population, the court has appointed punishment in the form of a warning under Article 488, Part 6 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK, for participation in a meeting in the building of the akimat. The Internal Policy Department of the Akimat filed a complaint against the women[64].

November 22, Almaty, a group of women human rights defenders and feminist activists urged the Kazakh authorities to adopt the draft law “On Combating Domestic Violence” (CDV) and to include the concept of “feminicide” in the national legislation[65].

22 November, Aktau, Yeleusinov A., trade union leader and former “political prisoner”, was released after 15 days of detention on charges under Article 488 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK for “violation of the order of organizing and holding peaceful assemblies”[66].

November 22, Almaty, our website https://kaztag.kz has been down since noon. All the time our IT specialists were carefully sorting out the problem, and only now, late at night, we managed to find out that the cause was a powerful DDoS attack. The editors link these actions of the opponents of freedom of expression to high-profile materials on corruption in Kazakhstan[67].

November 22, Almaty, Father Jacob, a priest who has called for Kazakhstan’s withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), was summoned to the Almaty police station for questioning as a witness. The policeman asked him to familiarize himself with the materials and write an explanatory note. The reason — posts on Facebook, which fall under Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the RK[68].

November 22, Almaty, lawyers Kerimova R. and Zhigalenok E. plan to picket after the sentencing of a convicted mother with many children in Almaty. “We have already sent notices about holding a picket. We plan to hold two pickets on 30.11.23 at 11.00 a.m. in different places near the Almaty City Court”, said Kerimova R.[69].

November 22, Petropavlovsk, activist Izmailov S. posted on his Facebook page that his wife was kidnapped and taken to the police station. The police officers forced Sergei’s wife to testify against him, her lawyer was not allowed to see her[70].

November 22, political persecution monitoring ahead of announced peaceful protests on November 25, 2023. Current data as of 16:00 on November 22, 2023[71].

November 22, Petropavlovsk, Court No. 2 read the operative part of the decision on the claims of Danchev A. to Kharipov D.E.: To refuse to satisfy the claim of Danchev A. to Kharipov D.E., Head of the Republican State Institution of the Criminal Enforcement System for the North Kazakhstan region, on the recognition of information in the appeal of the Department of the Criminal Enforcement System to the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan as untrue, the obligation to refute the information, the inducement to apologize and the compensation of non-pecuniary damage[72][73].

November 22, Mangistau region, Beineu settlement, activist Baidakov E. was forcibly put in a tuberculosis dispensary before a meeting with the Akim of the region Nogaev N. About 10 police officers detained the activist and then took him to the tuberculosis dispensary so that he “would not say too much to the Akim”[74].

November 22, Kokshetau, Baimuldin N.: the court found evidence of an administrative violation under Article 456-2, Part 3 of the Code of Administrative Offenced of the RK. “Posting and dissemination of false information” in the Facebook post and punished the journalist with a fine of 69,000 tenge[75].

November 23, “The police should catch rapists and pedophiles, instead of looking for dirt on civil society activists who help victims of sexual violence” — calls Smailova D., head of the public foundation “#NeMolchy.kz”[76].

November 23: “Altayev N. and Zhylanbayev M. represent different types of opposition figures: one is a former official, the other a man outside the system. But the message from the Kazakh authorities to any of their potential opponents seems to be the same: any candidate should not even try”, said journalist Chris Rickleton[77].

November 16, Almaty, overview of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from November 16 to November 23, 2023, prepared by PF “Adil Soz”[78].

November 24, Kostanay, Sultangali D., Article 488, Part 7 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK, 8 days of detention for posting in the network “Telegram” video with a call for a rally on November 14, 2023; Sandugash Sand-Akhmet, Smakova A., Article 488, Part 7 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK, 5 days of detention each for posting in the network «Telegram» video with a call for a rally on November 15, 2023[79].

On November 24, in Almaty, the prize named after M. Dorofeev was awarded at Media Kuryltai to the journalist and human rights defender Akhmedyarov L. He is known not only for his activities as a journalist, but also as a civic activist. He actively fights for human rights and freedom of expression, raises acute issues, and has been repeatedly attacked and persecuted for his activities[80].

November 25, Almaty, media expert D. Okremova shared her views on Media Kuryltai on the issue of information sovereignty of Kazakhstan: “We pay Russian channels to broadcast in our country. And we also pay Russia for broadcasting them. And the programs broadcast reflect the problems of the Russian society, which means inefficient use of budgetary funds by certain amounts”[81].

November 25, Astana, security measures have been tightened on the day of protests announced by opposition activists. The area near the Zhastar Palace, which was designated as the venue for the rally, has been cordoned off. Police officers are on duty at the site, not allowing anyone to go behind the fence and asking passers-by to move around the area[82].

November 25, Almaty, Azattyk correspondents noticed that near Astana Square in the center of the city there is a strengthening of police forces. The police cars were parked near the square[83].

November 25, Ust-Kamenogorsk, police are investigating a case of fraud against the president of the fund “NemolchiKZ” Smailova D., said the lawyer Zhuaspayeva G., who for the second day cannot familiarize herself with the materials of the case. At the same time, the police are calling and summoning for questioning hundreds of Kazakhstani citizens who donated money to the fund[84].

November 25, Great Britain, London, in front of the Embassy of Kazakhstan, an action against violence against women in Kazakhstan took place. It was attended by more than 70 Kazakhstanis living in the UK[85].

On November 26 in Almaty there was an action of the movement “Zhana Adamdar” against violence under the name “Say no to the world of animals”. At that moment about 200-300 people gathered in the square behind the Sary Arka cinema. Several civil society organizations criticized “Zhana Adamdar” for appropriating the agenda of the feminist movement and stigmatizing animals[86].

November 26, Shymkent, activist Konshbaev E. was detained on the day of the alleged rally. The police took him away when he came home for lunch. He was taken to the Yenbekshi district police station and held there until 10 p.m.[87].

November 27, Karaganda region, the city of Shakhtinsk, the police stopped the criminal case on “obstruction of legitimate professional activities of a journalist through the use of violence”, where the victim was journalist Saparkyzy D. The deputy prosecutor of Shakhtinsk did not see the corpus delicti in the actions of two people who were witnesses in a criminal case entitled to protection. [88].

November 27, Almaty, monitoring of political persecution in connection with the announced peaceful protests on November 25, 2023 [89].

On November 27, more than 6 thousand Kazakhstani citizens signed a petition in protection of the fund “NeMolchi.kz” addressed to President Tokayev K., Prosecutor General Asylov B. and Ombudsman Lastayev A. The authors ask to provide security for the head of the fund «NeMolchi.KZ» Smailova D. and others[90].

November 28, Astana, M. Zhylanbaev, Articles 405, 258 of the Criminal Code of the RK, made his final statement at the trial and, citing evidence, spoke for more than two hours about his innocence. His supporters and journalists were not allowed to attend this session under the pretext that “the court is closed”[91].

November 28, Aktobe, Kazakhstan authorities denied refugee status to Karakalpak activist T. Yuldasheva. “They refused, citing their conventions. They just told me that I have the right to appeal to the city court. I will write to the city court”,» said T. Yuldasheva[92].

November 29, Astana, M. Zhylanbaev, Article 405, Part 2, Article 258, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK: the court sentenced M. Zhylanbaev to 7 years of imprisonment. The announcement of the sentence was made online at 17:00. No relatives, supporters and journalists were allowed to attend the sentencing[93].

November 30, Astana, Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan Umiraliev Zh. left unanswered the question of the reporter “Azattyk” on the sidelines of the Majilis: “Whether the General Prosecutor’s Office does not see a violation of the principle of publicity in the actions of the court to pass sentence on the case of Zhylanbaev M. in conditions of secrecy?”[94].

November 30, Astana, according to the deputy of the Majilis B.Bazarbek, the criminal article on obstructing the professional activities of journalists does not work at all, the deputy of the Majilis urged to strengthen the article of the criminal code, which is aimed at protecting the rights of journalists[95].

On November 30, the 7th Annual Conference of the International Labor Rights Monitoring Mission was held in Bishkek. The Kazakh delegation presented an overview of the strike movement in the country and spoke about the political and legal situation in the country. Speakers highlighted the widespread deterioration in government respect for workers’ rights in the region, despite seemingly positive changes over the past two years[96].

[1] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32666165.html

[2] https://masa.media/ru/site/almatinskogo-aktivista-alnura-ilyasheva-vyzvali-na-dopros-po-delu-o-vymogatelstve

[3] https://kaztag.kz/ru/news/organizovavshiy-ataki-na-smi-kazakhstana-rodstvennik-oligarkha-klebanova-priznan-nevmenyaemym

[4] https://t.me/INFO1612/17141

[5] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32667178.html

[6] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32666863.html

[7] https://adilsoz.kz/weekly-monitoring/narusheniya-svobody-slova-v-kazahstane-s-26-oktyabrya-po-02-noyabrya-2.html

[8] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32667710.html

[9] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32679555.html

[10] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32676544.html

[11] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32670178.html

[12] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32670880.html